


With You, 'Till The End Of The Line

by raredelightfulloveoak (XerxesBreak)



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Dark writer of darkness, Flashbacks and ot3 goodness, Gen, Have caution with this fic, I hurt the ones I love and I hope O'Quintis forgives me, and feels as well as slight pain, but I tried ;p, not super shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 08:16:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8790325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XerxesBreak/pseuds/raredelightfulloveoak
Summary: After a long period of chasing phantoms, the team finally reaches the end. They're up against the impossible, but Scorpion never fails...right?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Spotedleaf5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spotedleaf5/gifts).



> I hope you like it dear! It took a while to get started, but I believe the end product will be too your liking. And comments are always appreciated :)

“This is the place,” Toby announced as Happy pulled the truck up to a small white building. Happy looked around at the land in disgust.

 

“I wonder what the loon cooked up for us this time.”

 

The ground was dead, grass crooked and bent like rusted iron. The trees were sickly and distorted, their leafless branches reaching out to the clouds like wizened old claws. This whole case had been a wild-goose chase, but  the air was thick and grey and ominous, as if  telling them they were reaching the case's end . 

 

“Cabe, what’s up on your end?” Walter asked over the comms, his voice carrying over the silence, challenged only by the crunching of leaves under their feet.

 

“We’re here at the other spot,” Cabe started, voice wary. “You kids be careful; this guy gives me the creeps.” 

 

Walter agreed absentmindedly, gesturing for Toby and Happy to follow him through the door. 

 

The wood creaked under the weight of their bodies, the faded paint flaking off like old scabs. They looked at each other, questions filling their eyes at what they were seeing.

 

“Well, this isn’t creepy at all,” Toby said, taking a small step forward. 

 

Countless bodies filled the room, greeting them with dead, glassy eyes and smooth, shiny skin. They were of all shapes and sizes, filling up the broken chairs scattered around the room. Some had fallen on the floor, lifeless limbs reaching out, littering the surface of the room. 

 

“They’re not real, Toby; he’s messing with us,” Happy said bitterly, steering clear of the doll laying by her feet. 

 

Toby nodded, stepping back from the sea of mannequin heads surrounding them, only to trip on the baby doll behind him. It let out a cry, the mechanics mangled from the crush of Toby’s impact. He picked it up disgustedly and set it down on a nearby table. He shivered at its peeling paint. “Welcome to the Twilight Zone,” he muttered under his breath. 

 

Walter ignored him, continuing through the room, unbothered by the plastic bodies around them. After they finished sweeping the perimeters, Walter checked in on the others. “You guys okay over there?”

 

Paige’s sigh carried through the comms. “Yeah, there’s nothing here.” Her voice was tired, filled with uncertainties. “Walter.” She paused to take a breath. “Be careful, all of you.”

 

Walter nodded. “Yeah, I’m not going to let him outsmart us.” 

“Paige,” Toby started, voice warm, “it’s okay. We’re going to get this guy. You are going to go home to Ralph tonight. Just stay strong, okay?”

 

“Okay,” She said, voice sounding slightly lighter as she put on a positive face. “We’re a team, right? Scorpion never fails.” She laughed a bit at the last line. 

 

Toby smiled before addressing the others. “We should keep moving through this mad house. Let’s split up.”

 

Walter agreed, starting to move towards the hallway. “Good idea. We could cover more ground that way. I’ll take the left corridor, Happy you take the right and Toby you go straight.”

 

Toby started to move, following Walter’s directions, but Happy grabbed his arm, stopping him. “We are not splitting up. This guy gives me the creeps. You’re an idiot if you think I’m leaving you,”

 

_ <years earlier> _

 

_ “You’re an idiot if you think I’m leaving you.” _

 

_ Toby glanced up to see Happy looking down at him. She stood still, unmoving, relentless despite his attempt to push her away. Her gaze was hot, sending a fire through his broken body. He took a breath as she sat beside him, her presence almost overwhelming.  _

 

_ Toby wiped the blood from his face, wincing when his hand brushed past the black eye that was forming. “Thanks for K-Oing that guy for me.” He said, once he realized she wasn’t going anywhere. He smiled at her, but her face was set in stone, _

 

_ “Yeah, you make friends wherever you go.” There was electricity on her words, crackling in the heat of her voice. A moment of silence then, “I can’t believe Walter picked you; you’ve been here two days and I’m already saving your ass.” _

 

_ Toby smiled at her, “I like you too Happy Quinn.” And this time he thought he saw her smile back.  _

__   </Present>

 

Farther inside the house, the hallway was bleached white. Too white. Its surface was newer and cleaner than what they had first walked into. Happy reached out to touch the wall, sliding a finger through it. Her hand came back dripping white. 

 

“This paintjob is new,” she mused, studying her hand. 

 

“I vote that we leave this place right now,” Toby said, but the offer fell flat. Walter and Happy both gave him a look.

 

“We aren’t leaving this place until we beat whoever is setting us up,” Walter said, eyes flooded with determination. 

 

Toby sighed, throwing his hands in the air. “Exactly, Walt! He’s setting us up! We need to go back to the garage and think this through!” He looked over at Happy for help but she just shrugged.

 

Walter tuned him out, pushing past Toby and walked into the next room. After rolling his eyes at Walter’s back, Toby followed him, Happy bringing up the rear. 

 

The room was completely empty, paint oozing out from under the wallpaper. They walked through the space, searching for something,  _ anything,  _ but there was nothing. Walter paced around, brimming with frustration, muttering incoherently to himself. 

 

“Walt, maybe we should move on to the next room,” Toby offered quietly, placing a soft hand on Walter’s shoulder. 

 

“Wait, guys.” Happy made her way over to the far right wall, to where the wallpaper was sagging slightly. Her face taking on a look of concentration; she reached up and grasped the paper by a corner. Tugging hard, she pulled the paper down to reveal something underneath. 

 

“What the hell is that?” She asked, looking back towards them. “Doc?”

 

Toby walked over to her, studying the pictures painted messily on the wall. “Tarot Cards,” he said. “At least I think that’s what they’re suppose to be.”

 

Happy raised an eyebrow, “And those are?”

 

“They're used to predict your future and…” He trailed off, eyeing the images closely.

 

“And what are these one’s predicting for us, Toby?” Walter asked.

 

“In short terms… death.” He took a breath. “Unpreventable outcomes. Basically, not good.” He looked at them, eyes wide, mouth open to say more, but he was cut of by the sound of Paige’s voice over the comms.

“Walter,” she called frantically, “something isn’t right here.”

 

Walter jumped, whatever hold the cards had over him vanishing. “Sylvester, what’s going on?”

 

The comms crackled, fizzing in and out. Sylvester’s voice was hazy and distorted. “Walter, the doors… We’re trapped. I--”

 

The static of the comms was replaced with silence. 

 

“Sylvester,” Walter snapped, voice cracking slightly. “Sylvester!”

 

“Sly!” Toby ran his fingers through his hair. “Sly, buddie, say something.” He looked at Happy, panic in his eyes, their distressed faces mirroring each other’s. 

 

Walter had stopped calling, stilled, a stern look coming over his features. “I am not letting this ameature win,” he said, voice sounding strained. 

 

“Walter,” Toby started towards him, voice low, shrink tone activated, but Walter wasn’t listening, too caught up in his own mind to hear the outside world, “Walter,” Toby tried again. This time he got a response, when he was sure he had Walter’s attention, Toby tried again, “Walter, this is exactly what the psycho wants you to do, don’t let him win your mind.” He paused. “Walter he’s not worth it.”

_ <Years Earlier> _

 

_ “Walter, he’s not worth it.” Toby’s voice cut through to him, pushing past the anger clouding his thoughts. The twiggy bartender was smirking at Walter from across the counter, his partner’s knuckles cracked from the fight he’d had with Toby earlier.  _

 

_ Walter looked down to find Toby’s hand on his. Their eyes locked. “Just fix the asshole’s computer so we can blow this popsicle stand.” The bartender was still smirking at him, waiting for a fight, practically thirsty for one. Toby raised an eyebrow. Happy crossed her arms, almost mirroring his stern look, and Walter nodded. _

 

_ “Okay.” _

 

_ Toby smiled, patting Walter’s shoulder before starting over towards the other side of the bar, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, all this fighting is making me thirsty. I could use a drink.”  _

 

_ As he left, Happy filled the space beside Walter. She gave him a look, “What do you see in him Walt?” He followed her gaze to where Toby was arguing good-naturedly with some of the costumers, his face as bright as his smile.  _

_ “The shrink doesn’t belong here.” _

 

_ “No.” Toby’s eyes met theirs through the crowd, smiled in a way that was different than the way he greeted the other people around him. “He doesn’t belong  _ with them _.” Walter paused, unsure of what he was trying to say. “He needs us.”  _

 

   </Present>

The eerie silence that had been following them through the house broke with a sudden wail of pain. “Guys,” Toby started, checking on them, “That sounded…”   
  


“Not good,” Happy finished, turning in a three-sixty to check the space around her. Nothing, not a soul in sight. The crying continued, shrieks of pain mixed in with heaving sobs.  The sound echoed through the hall, bouncing of the walls and ringing in their ears. 

 

Toby shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe I should check that out. Someone could be in trouble.” 

 

“Or it could be a trap,” Happy said, stepping in front of his path, “Doc, we need to be careful here.” She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to argue with her. 

 

“I’ll go with him,” Walter volunteered from the side.

 

Toby smiled, his eyes soft. “I’m a professional.” Happy rolled her eyes halfheartedly at him as he cupped her face in his hands. “And I got Wally boy with me, so I’m safe.” He whispered with a wink, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Stay safe. I’ll be right back.” He kissed her lips softly before pulling back, the warm space that was previously between them filling with cold, unwelcoming air. 

 

“You better,” she told him as he left, throwing desperation into her words because she just couldn’t fight the feeling that something was terribly off here, that they were all so far deep there was no possible way to escape it now. 

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

As the two of them walked, the only sounds they heard were the padding of their feet and the blood-curdling screams of pain leading them to a new destination. Toby stopped trying to figure out the cause of the cries, the sound setting his nerves on edge. “Hey Hap,” he said absentmindedly. 

 

“Yeah Doc? What’s up?” Her voice carried through the comms, the sound of it calming his racing heart by a fraction. “Doc, you okay?” 

 

Her voice was laced with frantic worry, snapping him out of his mind, “Sorry,” he rushed. “I’m fine. Just getting tired of this game.” He paused as Walter reached the doors, pushing them open warily. “How are you do--”

 

He stopped, caught off guard by the empty room. The cries stopped as soon as they entered. Walter and Toby exchanged looks. The whole space was void of anything, save for a rickety table tucked in a corner and a broken record dying down slowly on top of it.

 

“Guys,” Happy called through their silence, “update? What do you see?” 

 

“It’s a trap.”

 

“Of course it is, Walter. What did you expect?” Toby gave up, this whole thing was a never-ending goose chase, one they’d never win. He hated himself for falling for it, for walking in step with the gamemasters design, like an insignificant pawn part of a larger game of chess.  A small hiss burst through his focus, almost sounding like air being released. “Hey Walt, did you hear that?” He said, but Walter was too engrossed by the broken machine to notice him.

 

The feeling of uncertainty that had plagued him the whole case took him over completely. “Guys, we should go.”

 

Walter stood up to face him. “Toby…” he started in an authoritative tone. Toby raised his eyebrow in question, daring Walter to speak, and they stayed still, caught in a staring match, a dozen unspoken words passing between them.

 

Happy ran into the room, severing their link. “You okay?” she said, taking Toby aside.

 

He nodded, “Yeah, I’m just peachy.” He gestured over at Walter, “Now could you please tell Wally-Boy we need to get out of here before something bad happens?”

 

As if in answer to him, the doors started sliding towards each other, coming into contact with a deafening bang.

 

“Well, that’s just great,” Toby said bitterly.

 

Walter looked at him with concern. “Toby, do you remember that sound you heard earlier?”

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

Walter gestured towards the slit in the ceiling above them, a small windy sound emanating from it. Toby looked closer, eyes widening in horror at the small green cloud slowly trickling outward. He turned towards them, eyes wild. “So that’s a problem, Walt. Any ideas?” 

 

Happy turned on him, gears already running, scanning for possible solutions. “You’re the doctor, how long do we have?” 

 

Toby shrugged, “It depends on the concentration,” he started, “Chlorine isn’t lethal in small doses, but we could have anywhere from a few hours to a few minutes.” He stopped to take a small breath, “We just need to save our breath. It mainly attacks our lungs, so don’t breathe to deeply.”

 

Happy nodded, already starting to hold her air, then she noticed Toby’s eyes starting to close. 

 

“Doc!” She snapped. “Eyes open, mouth shut.” She looked at him pointedly until he followed her command.

 

Walter was pacing, taking short limited breaths as he thought to himself. He studied the doors at all angles, scanned the walls for any clue to escape, eyes dancing about the room frantically.

 

Toby sighed, slowly sliding down the side of a wall until he was sitting. “It’s no use,” he said, “There’s no way out.” He leaned his head back, shutting his eyes, mouth open slightly, letting his breaths out in short, defeated bursts.

 

“Toby,” Walter called sternly, “I am  _ going to _ find a way out of here.” But there was a tinge of doubt behind his words, a crack in his wall. 

 

“Toby,” Happy jumped in. He didn’t open his eyes; he just murmured in response. “Toby get up!” This time her words ripped out of her, reaching a yell, leaving her throat raw. There was the sound of a loud bang and Happy’s head snapped to the side where Walter was leaning against the wall, fist clenched and red from impact. “Walter,” she started cautiously. 

 

“Toby’s right,” he whispered, taking a seat as well, “We lost.  _ I  _ lost. There’s no escape.” 

 

“No.” Happy’s heart was beating rapidly at the sight of them sitting there, so tired, so useless. “No.” She ran to the doors, there was no lock, no handle, so she tried to pry them open, digging her fingers in as far as she could, biting back the pain.

 

“I am going to get us out of here.  _ We are getting out of here _ .” Her hands slipped, the doors stubborn and unmoving. 

 

“Hey guys,” Walter cut in out of nowhere, his voice taking on a reminiscent tone, “remember that time we took that job at the bar.” He laughed, the sound rare. “Happy, you were so determined that day. You wouldn’t take no for an answer,” 

 

Toby smiled, the memory coming back to him. “We picked so many fights that night. My first time being part of a team.”

 

“Stop it.” Happy’s words faltered, her throat feeling scratchy, her eyes starting to burn. The smell of the gas was burning throughout her body, the taste stained on her tongue. “You guys  _ are not _ doing this right now.”

 

She tried at the door again, but her head was heavy, arms starting to shake. “Get up and help me.” But she felt no meaning behind her words. 

 

Finally, she gave in, letting her body land beside them, limbs crashing down on the hard wooden floor. 

 

“Just a short break.” Her voice was an airy whisper.

 

There was silence, the room filled with dancing clouds of gas and the sounds of their slow, choppy breaths. After a while Happy couldn’t help but close her eyes, though that did little to numb the dry burning pain she felt.

 

“Happy I-” Walter’s voice was weak, raspy as he tried to speak. “I never told you how talented you are.”

 

“Walt, please,” Happy began, but he ignored her,

 

“I could have never started this team without you. You are an asset I could never replace. I’m so lucky I got to know you, Happy Quinn.”

 

Happy was too tired to stop him, and so Walter kept going. “Toby, I’m sorry I wasn’t the friend you needed me to be.”

“Walter please,” Toby said. “You’re more than enough, you loveable pain in the ass.”

 

Walter bobbed his head from side to side. “No, we could’ve gotten along better. It’s my fault. I never got to tell you how thankful I am that you stuck around.”

 

“You really didn’t give me a choice, did you, pal?”

 

Walter’s head bobbed again. “Scorpion wouldn’t be the same without you guys,” he said finally.

 

She heard Toby laugh, her mind holding on to the sound of his voice. “I love you too, buddy.” He paused before saying, “Hey Hap?” 

 

Happy struggled to find her voice, her throat on fire. “Yeah?” 

 

“You’re amazing.” She didn’t answer him, the words wrapping themselves around her heart, leaving her breathless -- though that could have been the gas. More silence, then, “I love you so much.”

 

“I love you too Toby.” For some reason the words placed a blanket of calm around her, almost numbing  the pain.

 

The stopped talking, the chlorine burning through their words. Timidly, Walter held on to Toby’s hand likes it was the lifeline he still wasn’t sure he needed. Toby gripped it tight as his fingers reached out to catch Happy’s hands in his.

 

They stayed there, locked together, a chain of bodies holding on to life. Happy held on to Toby’s hand tighter as he started slipping from her grasp. His fingers were light, falling from hers like a feather she couldn’t quite catch. She tried to open her eyes, but all she saw was a blur, so Happy focused on his hand again, reaching for it once last time. 

 

This time she interlocked their fingers, holding fast in a death grip, determined not to let him go. Something wet fell and landed on her skin, but she couldn’t remember when she had started crying, if the tears were even hers. 

 

“Hey guys.” Toby’s voice was getting weaker, sounding more far away than it had before. “Thanks for being my partners in crime.” 

 

  ----------------------------------------------------

_ </Years Earlier>   _

 

 _The garage was silent that night, the three of them desperate to avoid eye contact. Happy watched Toby out of the corner of her eye as he came up beside her to grab something. He was different, aggravating, but there was something altogether captivating about his personality, in an annoying way, and she couldn’t help but wonder what his presence would do to the team. Her_ _team. But Walter saw something in him. Hell, he saw something in everyone. Happy tried to do the same._

 

_ Toby caught her staring and smiled back. Put off by the warm look in his eyes, like it was  _ _ almost patronizing _ _ , Happy turned her gaze into a staring contest, daring him to look harder. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Walter, who walked over to Toby uncomfortably.  _

 

_ “Sorry about tonight,” he started awkwardly. “I wasn’t thinking,”  _

 

_ Toby nodded at him in understanding, still smiling. “None of us were.” _

 

_ “And, uh… thanks for saving me back there.” Walter shifted, looking for his next words. “I needed that.” _

 

_ “Well, we all need someone to keep us in check sometimes,” Toby said softly, his eyes meeting Happy’s. She couldn’t get over the way he kept looking at her, his smooth eyes almost taking her over completely. She didn’t know how to react -- this feeling was new and aggravating -- so she gave him a quick glare before pulling her eyes away.  _

 

_ Walter coughed again through the silence, gaining their attention, “Well… See you tomorrow then?” He looked at Toby with something new in his eyes. _

 

_ Toby held out a hand to Walter, who took it in a firm handshake. “We’re a team right? ‘Till the end,” He looked at Happy expectantly, his hand still out in question. _

 

_ She rolled her eyes at the puppy look in his face.“Way to be a sap about it.” But after a moment, she gave in, letting her hand interlock with his, this new promise held between their fingers. Happy looked over at Walter, then back at her hand, which was still in Toby’s. Finally, she looked up at him, letting a small smile slip through despite herself. They were a team, and she was going to protect them until the end. She was sure of it. _

**Author's Note:**

> I am always open for feedback in case you might have enjoyed this


End file.
